Good news, a brand new home for Waterford Crystal is scheduled to open on June 1st 2010 on a 1.5 acre site in the heart of Waterford City. This is a fantastic location set back just 100 yards or so from the city’s main quay, and bordering the city’s Viking Triangle area, about which there is more later in this Ezine.

The new manufacturing facility will include highly skilled local craftsmen and will produce 40,000 crystal pieces per year using traditional methods. The House of Waterford range that will be produced will include trophies for prestigious sporting events, bowls and vases from the museum, heritage and designer collections, and also the special order stemware collection.

The Visitor Retail Experience will open on the 1st June 2010 over 7 days. Admission to the Visitor Retail Experience is complimentary and will include the following: the largest display of Waterford Crystal in the world, Retail Store, Exhibition and Crystal Installation areas, coffee shop, worldwide shipping facility, and adjacent car parking.

The factory tour for coach groups and itineraries will commence on the 15th June 2010, these guided tours will operate 7 days and will include the following traditional production areas: Wooden mould making, Crystal Blowing and Furnace, Quality Inspection & Finishing, Crystal Cutting, Crystal Sculpting & Engraving, Chandelier Assembly, and Design Inspiration.

CLICK HERE for the Waterford Crystal website.

And the good news for Waterford gets even better. This week the new Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Mary Hanafin, announced a significant investmetn of almost €9 million towards the development of museums and other attractions in the centre of Waterford City in an area known as the Viking Triangle.

The Viking Triangle, the name given to the area of Waterford first settled by the Vikings in 914 AD, contains within its three sides the oldest parts of the city itself. Within the Viking Triangle are 1,000 years of Irish urban heritage.

Many monuments still adorn the old city, which testify to its wealth as a medieval port and to the success of the city during the eighteenth century. The Viking Triangle extends along a 500 metre length and has at its apex Reginalds Tower, the only monument in Ireland named in honour of a Viking.

It’s terrific to see such positive developments and it augers well for a bright tourism future for Waterford and the South East.

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March 30th 2010

Travel and Tourism does not prosper in times of economic uncertainty or weak consumer sentiment, but are we beginning to see signs that the worst may be over?

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) last week halved its loss forecast for 2010 to $2.2 billion (2009 losses were $9.4 billion). The improvement IATA says, is largely driven by a much stronger recovery in demand seen by year end gains that continued into the first months of 2010. Mind you the greater gains are being made in the Asia-Pacific and Latin American regions, with European carriers expected to turn in losses of $2.2 billion and North American carriers showing red ink to the tune of $1.8 billion.

Irish tourism’s big source markets are Great Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, providing over 75% of all overseas visitors. The domestic market is also vitally important, providing as it does over 60% of bednights in Irish hotels.

Jim Power, one of Ireland’s most respected Economists, had a look at these markets for ITIC and he has some interesting views to share about how advanced or otherwise recovery may be this year and beyond.

CLICK HERE to read his opinion.

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March 24th 2010

In 2009 Shannon Development celebrated 50 years of commitment to growth and development in the Mid West region. During that period they have supported tourism as a key element in the achievement of overall economic growth throughout the Shannon region.

They have shown great imagination in the development and marketing of a range of products and visitor facilities, which have stimulated tourism growth in the region.

Global recession and its consequent impact on tourism and travel have not spared the Shannon region, but resilience is something for which the area is renowned.

ITIC spoke with Shannon Development Tourism and Marketing Division Manager, Pat Daly. Click on the image below to hear what he had to say.

March 18th 2010

ITIC has predicted that the lack of an adequate supply of cars on the rental fleet this year could lead to a serious loss of business, particularly in the peak season.

It has called on the Government to address the issue in the Finance Act by introducing three remedial self-financing measures:

- Postponing the proposed elimination of the Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) refund.
- Introduction of a stimulus package.
- Extension of the scrappage scheme to 2010 registered cars coming off this year’s fleet.

CLICK HERE to download a copy of the Press Release. Or for a detailed report, Car Rental Shortage & Tourism, CLICK HERE.

March 9th 2010

No section of the tourism industry had been spared the considerable pain which has accompanied the global recession, but perhaps the hotel sector has been hit hardest.

Since 1990 the number of hotel bedrooms in Ireland has grown from just over 20,000 to about 60,000, and in fact the number of bedrooms added since 2005 has been in the order of 15,000, or almost a third. The current severe downturn has seen room occupancy and yield fall back sharply, exacerbated by the significant overcapacity in the industry.

This week the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) elected a new President, Paul Gallagher. An industry veteran, Paul is General Manager of the famous Buswells Hotel in the heart of Dublin. He spoke to ITIC following his election to office.

Click on the image below to hear what he had to say.

March 3rd 2010